Scoring and cutting rule



June 23, 1925. 1,542,879

J. E. HIRES I SCORING AND CUTTING RULE Filed DOG. 15, 1923 'ITIHJAINVENTUR.

til /an Edgar E766,

8r g g ATTORNEYS.

Patented June 23, 1925.

UNITED STATES 1,542,879 PATENT'VOFFFICE.

JOHN EDGAR HIRES, OF LANGHORNE, EENNSYLVANIA, .ASSIGNOB TO AUTOMATICMACHINERY AND EQUIPMENT COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

soonilve. AND CUTTING RULE.

Application filed December 15, 1923. Serial No. 680,794.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN EDGAR HIRES, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Langhorne, county of Bucks, and State of Pennsylvania,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Scoring and CuttingRules, of which the following is a specification, reference being had tothe accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to scoring and cutting rules employed, inassociation with a suitable machine, for scoring or cutting sheets ofcardboard or the like.

It is advantageous in the scoring or cutting of cardboard or likematerial to employ a machine comprising a bed or platen and a revolubleroll or cylinder adjacent thereto upon which are disposed metallicstrips or rules the edges of which project slightly above the surface ofthe cylinder 'so that when the cylinder is revolved and the cardboard orother material fed between it and the platen, the rules impress on thecardboard scores or marks to facilitate the subsequent folding of thecardboard or, under certain conditions, and by suitable adjustment ofthe machine, cut entirely through the cardboard and thus sever the sameinto the desired shapes. Machines of this general character areordinarily so arranged as to permit the board to be fed continuouslyfrom a roll instead of intermittently in the form of single sheets whichis of advantage from the standpoint of economy and .for other reasons. i

It is customary in machines of, this gen-' eral character to support themetallic rules or strips on the cylinder by means of wooden blocks orforms curved in conformity with the cylinder and operativelyattached'thereto by screws or the like, these blocks being cut to thedesired shape and positioned on opposite sides of the rules so as tohold the latter in position with the scoring or cutting edges of therules projecting slightly above the outer surface of the blocks and theopposite or inner edges-of the rules resting on the surface of thecylinder. Furthermore, in order to producescores or cuts of even depthin the cardboard it is requisite that all points on the scoring edge ofthe rules be at exactly the same distance from the axis of therevolution of the cylinder and it has thus been customary to .cut therules from thin sheet metal in such shapes as to effect this result.This method bent-into suitable shapes to conform to the surface .of'thecylinder on which it is to be supported and thus readily arrangedthereon in association with the wooden blocking on other support toproduce the desired pattern on the cardboard and which, when so arrangedand supported, will present a scoring or cutting edge all points ofwhich are equidistant from the axis of the cylinder. lazily I inventionfurther includes such other objects and novel features to whichreference is hereinafter more specifically made or which will beapparent from the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof.

In the said drawing in which I have illustrated one form of myinvention, Fig. 1 is a perspectiveview of the cylinder of a scoringmachine showing the ordinary method of supporting the rules thereon, thelatter, in this instance, being arranged so as to form an X upon thecardboard; Fig. 2 is -an enlarged fragmentary transverse section on theline 22' in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a view in perspective of a fragment of myimproved rule prior to its being bent into conformity with the surfaceof the roll'and Fig. 4 is a View in side elevation of a fragment of therule after it has been bent to conform to the roll but before beingpositioned thereon. Like numerals are used to indicate the same parts inthe several figures.

My improved rule in its preferred embodiment and as best shown in Fig. 3consists of a strip of sheet metal of suitable thickness and of anydesired length having parallel side edges respectively designated as 1and 2, the former forming the scoring or cutting edge and the latter theinner edge which rests against the roll when the rule is positionedthereon, and to facilitate the scoring or cutting operation the sides ofthe strip adjacent the edge 1 may be beveled as at 33 by grinding orotherwise so as to suitably sharpen the edge.

in practice the rule is ordinarily about one inch in width between theedges 1 and 2, although of course this width nay be varied as desired,and is provided with a series of preterably similar and equidistantlyspaced notches or indentations 5 extending inwardly from the edge 2toward the edge l and tor-- minating more or less adjacent to the latteredge so as toleave a relatively narrow uninterrupted strip of metal 2 inthe rear otthe The notches or indentations may 1 "ed tor n but in thepreferred embodiment oi": the invention these notches are of narrowl-shape with their closed ends slightly rounded or, in other words, thesides of each notch are arranged to converge slightly toward theclosedend of the notch sufiic iently to intersect at that end and arethere connected by a curved fillet or edge 8. The forn ation ot' thenotches in the manner aforesaid results iutl e provision or 'a pluralityof spaced lingers or tongues 9 extending from the strip of solid metal 7in the rear of the outer or scoring edgel and terminating at the edge 2,each of these lingers having substantially the profile of a narrowtruncated pyramid with its base disposed adjacent the solid metal in therear of the scoring edge. i

It will be understood that in the manufacture of my improved rules thesame are ordinarily punched or stamped from sheets of metal of suitablethickness, conveniently by a single operation and in oonvilint lengths,after which the hove-ls at thescoring edge as be am y r nding or in aneth r ab ay- A the ales a e init a y formed in straight lengths willapparent that the same can be manufactured very economically and withpractically no waste the material tromwhich they are stamped as the saidmaterial is ordinarily in the form of rectangular sheets. i

The rules manufactured as aforesaid or in any other suitable way aresold to the consumer in straight lengths and may be utilized by him forthe purpose of scoring or cutting cardboard in the manner now to bedescribed. hitherto stated, the scoring machines for use with which therules are particularly suitable are ordinarily pro vided with a scoringroll 10 suitably driven to revolve adjacent a bed or platen (not shown).Cp veniently this roll is surrounded by a removable two part metallicshell '11 the halves of which may rigidly operatively secured togetherabout'the roll by screws or bolts 12 whose heads are disposed incountersinks l3soas to lie below the outer surface of the shell. hen itis desired to produce a particular scored pattern on the cardboard orother material, a suitable quantity of the initially strai ht rules istaken from stock, cut ,up into the requisite lengths to form thepattern'and suitably arranged on the shell and secured in positionthereon by wooden blocks or the like 15, the pieces of rule beingdisposed between the adjacent edges of the blocks which are then firmlyfastened to the cylinder by screws 16 threaded thereinto or in any othersuitable way, it being understood that the inner and outer faces of theblocks are curved to conform with the surface of the cylinder, that theheight or the blocks is a little less than the width of the rule so thatthe scoring edge thereof will project above the outer surface of theblocks and that the side edges of the blocks are so tormed'as to snuglyabut the side faces of the rule and retain the rule in proper position.In order to firmly seat the inner edges 2 of the rules on the surface ofthe shell or, in other words, to 'bring'the free. ends of all of thetongues 9 into contact therewith, the rules during the operation ofadjusting them on thecylinder are suitably bent in a direction away fromthe scoring edge so as to bring them into exact con formity with thecurvature of the surface on which they are intended to rest and byreason of the peculiar formation of my improved rule this bendingoperation may be very easily and rapidly accomplished, thereby enablingthe rules to be readily brought to the desired form and greatlyfacilitating their arrangement on theroll' in ama'nne'r to produce therequired pattern on the cardboard. In Fig. 41 have shown a short pieceoi my improved rule after the same has been bent'to conform with theroll butbefore being placed thereon. i i i It will thus be apparent thatby the pres ent invention I have provided a scoring or cutting rulewhiclrmay be readily utilized by the ser to produce any desired patternon the scoring roll of the sir oring ma chine in a minimum amount oftime and without waste of material and that by reason of the facilitywith which the rule may bend to conform with the surface of the roll allpoints on the scoring or hutting edge of the rule may be very readilydisposed at an equal distance from the axis of rotation of the roll withresulting evenness of impression on the cardboard, while at all timesthe fingers or tongues 9 with their free ends resting on the roll afi'ord a positive and adequate support to the scoring edge. lVhile Ihave herein described with considerable particularity and in theaccompanying drawing illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention,I do not thereby desire or intend to limit myself specifically theretoas modifications may be made in the details of the device andparticularly the form or disposition of the notches or of the fingersmay be varied as desired, without departing from the spirit and scope ofthe invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to protect byLetters Patent of the United States:

1. A scoring or cutting rule comprising a strip of metal having acontinuous scoring edge and a plurality of indentations extendinginwardly from the opposite edge.

2. A scoring or cutting rule comprising a straight strip of metal havinga continuous scoring edge and a plurality of spaced indentationsextending inwardly from theopposite edge.

3. A scoring or cutting edge comprising a straight strip of metal havinga continuous scoring edge and a plurality of evenly spaced indentationsextending inwardly from the opposite edge and terminating e short of thescoring edge.

A. A scoring or cutting rule comprising a strip of metal having acontinuous scoring edge, an uninterrupted body of metal adjacent thescoring edge and a plurality of evenly spaced V-shaped notches extendinginwardly from the opposite edge and terminating short of the scoringedge.

5. A scoring or cutting rule formed of sheet metal and having parallellongitudinal edges, one of said edges forming a scoring edge and aplurality of evenly spaced notches having converging sides extendinginwardly from the other edge and terminating short of the scoring edge.

6. A scoring or cutting rule comprising a continuous scoring edge and aplurality of spaced fingers disposed in the rear of the sgoring edge andextending away from said e ge. V 7. A scoring or cutting rule comprisinga sharpened scoring edge and a plurality of spaced and separated fingerseach having converging side edges disposed in the rear of said edge andextending substantially normal thereto. p

8. A scoring or cutting rule formed of sheet metal and comprising acontinuous scoring edge and a plurality of separate fingers each ofsubstantially V-shaped form disposed in the rear of said edgeandextending substantially normal thereto in spaced relation with eachother.

9. A scoring. or cutting rule formed of sheet metal and having acontinuous scoring edge and a plurality of substantially V-shapedseparated and similar fingers disposed in the rear of said edge andextending substantially normal thereto, the free ends of all of saidfingers respectively terminating at the same distance from the scoringedge.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 13th day ofDecember, 1923. JOHN EDGAR HIRES.

